Garden Blog Day in Mid-November

A real winter has came, it's ravishingly beautiful but it's just cold. Who live not far from the North, know what winter season is and how to dress well: winter boots, warm coats or down jackets, hats, scarfs and gloves (uh!). So I had dressed well and went to see my garden in snow.
First snow is always nice, soft, light and very white. My garden was completely covered with snowy carpet.
This winter coming has been such unexpectedly that not only I but many of my plants met first snow with leaves and fruits. They were suddenly winterized with thick snow. Look at the Celastrus berries and apples:

Some dry bush branches and grasses that dried up in October were snow-capped and slowly moved in the wind. Interestingly the snow seems whiter than grey sky on the photo below.

The empty hangers for flower baskets looked contrastingly with white snow on their black iron figures. The long thin branches of Parthenocissus swayed dropping last green leaves. 
The low 'niwaki' pines nicely looked dressed in snow costumes.

What is your garden in November? Do you prepare it to winter season?


Here is my new video:

Autumn Still Life

I love learning something new, interesting and watch contemporary paintings, especially still life. Today I want to introduce you to the modern artists, young women who love nature, flowers, still life and autumn. 

These women graduated Art academies and colleges participated in various exhibitions in Russia and other countries. The love to painting and to nature unites them all.

Still life 'Autumn' by Marina Zakharova, 52, shows us golden leaves and rowan berries on a table, asters in a vase. Graduated Yaroslavl Art college she lives in Kostroma (Northern Russia), took part in exhibitions in Germany, Poland and Greece.

The second one is 'Chrysanthemums' by Natalia Pavlusenko, 44, graduated Shevchenko Art college.

This is the painting 'Chrysanthemums' by Victoria Yakimova, 44, graduated Art college, lives in Crimea.

Two works 'Asters' and 'Autumnal bouquet' by Irina Ribakova, 52, graduated Nekrasov Pedagogical University in Kostroma, took part in exhibitions in Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Munich, Beijing. 

  

The still life 'Asters and viburnum' by Natalia Zakrevskaya is airy and light. Graduated Shevchenko Art college, she works in water color technique.

'Dima's red flowers bouquet' by Victoria Harchenko, 42, graduated Saint Petersburg Repin Art Academy. She worked as a professor of Fine Arts in Shanghai, China, lives in Kaluga (Central Russia), took part in exhibitions in Saint Petersburg, Pskov, Kaluga, Shanghai, Beijing.

The still life 'Blue and red asters' by Julia Goltseva, 35, graduated Voronesh Art Academy (South Russia), some of her painting are in private collections in Russia, France, Serbia.

'Summer is over' by Olga Vorobiova, graduated Moscow Art college, lives in Moscow. 

I liked all these paintings, can't choose the one I prefer. 
What of these autumnal still life did you like?

November Has Come

November has come, the last autumnal month, the darkest one, with frost and snow. The bright orange Celastrus's berries between old faded leaves decorate trellises in my garden. They keep hanging on branches all winter, and I especially love them covered with snow hats.

My rhododendrons are red and green now. The evergreens usually lower down their leaves and roll them to minimize water evaporation in frost . The deciduous rhododendrons have been getting reddish and later will drop their leaves. Now, they are healthy before the coldest season comes.

We had already had first frost and snow that fast melted, my pond was covered with thin ice. I must say the first frost surprised me because I did not prepare water lilies to overwinter. Therefore having looked at ice and frozen lily leaves I quickly have put my special boots on and began to drag out the baskets with water lilies up.

It was the second surprise: the biggest red lily had two buds! It was a pity but I had been sure they wouldn't bloom in November cold water and I pruned all leaves and buds and put the baskets in the deepest part of a pond to winter.

The road from my summer cottage was deserted when I had been going back. Some people that had big harvest of apples put them in sacks and leave at the road to anyone could take. I've made many jars of apple jam and I think to do the same or put in a compost tank and the rest to leave for birds.

The low sunny rays went through white trunks of birches, their bare branches. I have been thinking it was one of the last nice autumn days, without rain and wind. 
By the way this night snow has whitened all around and I think I have to go to my garden to clear the paths or perhaps it melts tomorrow, ah?
 
What is the weather in your place now? 
What do you do in November in your garden?

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